Frank Lampard has said he is happy with the improvements shown by Chelsea so far this season but insists he is not getting "carried away" by his team's promising start.
Chelsea embarked on an expensive recruitment drive in the summer, spending nearly £250 million ($334m) on new players, including exciting talents such as Kai Havertz and Timo Werner from the Bundesliga, Moroccan winger Hakim Ziyech from Ajax, and England left-back Ben Chilwell.
Expectations have therefore been high that Chelsea can challenge Liverpool and Manchester City for major honours this season, and after a shaky start to the season, the Blues have started to hit their stride, winning five games in a row.
Most crucially, the team has become far less porous and have kept six clean sheets in their past seven games, thanks in part to the arrivals of Brazilian defender Thiago Silva from Paris Saint-Germain and goalkeeper Edouard Mendy from Rennes.
Chelsea went top of the league briefly on Saturday with a 2-0 victory at Newcastle United before dropping back to third after Tottenham Hotspur's win over Manchester City and Liverpool's win over Leicester City.
"After eight or nine games, it would be easy to get excited about being in a lofty position but I'm not going to smile too much," Lampard told Chelsea's website.
"We're in a decent position but doing that consistently over a big period is the next step for us now.
"The first port of call this year was to close the gap on Man City and Liverpool, who have set different levels of consistency through a season."
"We are improving but we cannot get carried away. We have to try to reach those levels but I'm happy with where we're at right now."
Chelsea face Rennes in the Champions League on Tuesday with German playmaker Havertz set to return after completing his period of isolation following a positive Covid-19 test earlier this month.
"Kai is a naturally fit boy so I hope to have him travelling with us to Rennes and maybe he'll get some minutes," Lampard said.
Chelsea top Group E on seven points, level with Sevilla, and will qualify for the knockout stages with two games to spare if they win and Sevilla avoid defeat to Krasnodar.
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Newcastle v Chelsea player ratings
Did you know?
Brunch has been around, is some form or another, for more than a century. The word was first mentioned in print in an 1895 edition of Hunter’s Weekly, after making the rounds among university students in Britain. The article, entitled Brunch: A Plea, argued the case for a later, more sociable weekend meal. “By eliminating the need to get up early on Sunday, brunch would make life brighter for Saturday night carousers. It would promote human happiness in other ways as well,” the piece read. “It is talk-compelling. It puts you in a good temper, it makes you satisfied with yourself and your fellow beings, it sweeps away the worries and cobwebs of the week.” More than 100 years later, author Guy Beringer’s words still ring true, especially in the UAE, where brunches are often used to mark special, sociable occasions.
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champioons League semi-final:
First leg: Liverpool 5 Roma 2
Second leg: Wednesday, May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
TV: BeIN Sports, 10.45pm (UAE)
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
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Where to donate in the UAE
The Emirates Charity Portal
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
Al Noor Special Needs Centre
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Emirates Airline Foundation
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
Emirates Red Crescent
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Noor Dubai Foundation
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
RESULT
Huddersfield Town 2 Manchester United 1
Huddersfield: Mooy (28'), Depoitre (33')
Manchester United: Rashford (78')
Man of the Match: Aaron Mooy (Huddersfield Town)